ENDERUNLU FAZIL’IN III. SELİM MERSİYESİ (İNCELEME-METİN)

Abstract

“Mersiye” is a genre in Classical Turkish poetry where the sorrow for the dead person is expressed, good sides of the dead is given and the poet prays for the dead person. In mersiye the poet writes about the fact that the World has an end and human is helpless when the death comes. The poet gives his best feelings to friends and relatives of the dead, reproaches and complaints about fate also are uttered. If the dead was a ruler then the poet wishes good and prays for him. Sultan Selim III is one of the Ottoman emperors who was elegized after his death. After having sat 18 years in throne he was dethroned with Kabakcı Mustafa rebellion in 1807. His era was praised by poets by expressing his kindnes, generosity and justice. Because of his formation Nizam-i Cedid, a new army, he was killed with the order of Mustafa IV with the concern that he could gain access to the throne again. Ottoman poets like Enderunlu Fazil and Ayni expressed their grief by writing an elegy for Selim III. In this paper we will take on the Mersiye written by Enderunlu Fazıl Bey for Selim III focusing on its literary form and function. The chapters of Mersiye will be analyzed, and the topics such as complaints from faith, good characteristics of Selim III, and the responsible persons in his death will be brought into consideration. The text of the Mersiye is not the same in printed edition and in handwritten copy therefore the number of couples, styles are different. For this reason a critical edition of the text will be added at the end of study.